Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: {So wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah}, and affirming the Face for Allah the Exalted

Question:
He asks: In His saying, the Exalted, , is there an affirmation of the Face in a literal sense, or is the intended meaning something else?

Answer:
It is possible that "Face" is used here to mean direction, i.e., the direction of Allah which one is commanded to face. It is also possible that it refers to what is mentioned in the hadith: before the face of the one praying. There is no objection to both meanings being present in the noble verse. It was said that the verse was revealed
in travel. If a traveler strives to determine the qiblah and makes a mistake, his prayer is valid; his prayer is valid. It was revealed concerning a group of traveling Muslims who were confused about the qiblah, so they estimated the direction and prayed. When morning came, they found them facing a direction other than the qiblah, so they asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about the ruling on their prayer. Allah then revealed this verse. The verse is general, applying to this and that. The Honorable Shaykh says: It was revealed regarding the night prayer in travel, and one prays wherever his mount faces him. The verse is general, and praise be to Allah. Yes.